Reading Poetry: Social Poetics
This MIT OpenCourseWare literature course traces the historical relationship between poetry and the everyday social lives of Americans, with particular attention to what poet June Jordan called the difficult miracle of Black poetry in America. Readings and discussions examine how poems have worked as a form of knowing one another across race, class, and history, especially for people historically denied literacy, bodily ownership, or recognized belonging. The syllabus moves through key poets and movements in U.S. poetics, pairing close reading with historical context about who could write, publish, and be heard. Materials include the reading list, discussion questions, and writing assignments used at MIT, free to access through OCW with no certificate offered. It suits students who want a grounded literary history of American poetry rather than a survey of forms alone.